1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to splice trays and slack optical fiber organizing trays, and more particularly to an improved organizer tray for spliced optical fibers and the splicing elements, affording safe, efficient handling of the individual fibers when splicing the multiple fibers from buffer tubes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A typical buffer tube encases from six to twelve optical fibers. The buffer tube is removed from one end to expose from one to four meters of the fibers. The ends of the optical fibers are spliced to the ends of fibers in another buffer tube of another cable or to the pigtail fibers of other optical fiber devices, couplers, connectors, attenuators, switches etc.
The trays for storing the optical fiber splices and the slack fiber, that is optimally provided to permit repair and replacement of a splice, has been an area of inventive endeavor for some time now and the literature is replete with disclosures of various types and styles of fiber storage trays and assemblies to store optical fiber and splices. Each marketable tray must have adequate size to allow storage of slack optical fiber in a loop at least twice the minimum prescribed bend radius of the optical fiber. Also, an area is provided to maintain the splice in a suitable fixed position to restrict movement which could readily fracture the fiber near the end of the splice. Still there is need to have access to the fibers and splices occasionally and tray assemblies should make the splices and slack fiber accessible. Storage trays are utilized in closures where cables having a plurality of buffer tubes are spliced. They are also used in closures where a cable is opened and one or more buffer tubes are spliced into a branch line. The trays also appear in distribution panels where optical fiber cables are terminated and distribution fibers are directed throughout a network.
The known trays however are not user and fiber oriented such that the fibers are safely stored and readily accessible without danger of damaging adjacent fibers or groups of fibers in an adjacent tray assembly. They do not afford separation of the terminated fibers in a buffer tube. They do not allow easy removal of the splice without danger to the fibers at the ends of the splices.
The tray of the present invention affords rapid fiber orientation, easy access to the fibers to locate desired fibers by color or number and restrict the possibility of damaging adjacent fibers. It accommodates up to 24 optical fiber splices and the respective fibers. The tray has eight channels at one end which accept eight buffer tubes, and the tubes are retained by their snug fit into channel retention snaps and below lips on the top of the channels and other buffer ties or clamps are not needed. These and other unique features will be described below.